Bulldogs voted unanimously to repeat NEC Title

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Under reigning Northeast Conference Coach of the Year Barabra Cilli, the Bryant University women's tennis team has been unanimously selected to defend its league title by the NEC coaches, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon.

After sweeping all major awards and winning the program's first NEC Title, the Bulldogs received seven of the eight first-place votes in the poll. Last year's No. 1 seed LIU Brooklyn landed in second after grabbing the final vote, while Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis U. finished in third and fourth. Sacred Heart took home the fifth slot with Mount St. Mary's in sixth. Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn rounded out the poll in seventh and eighth.

The Bulldogs shocked NEC women's tennis followers last season with their young talent, including the 2015 NEC Player of the year Ryan Brown (Austin, TX). The now junior stepped into the #1 singles flight, ranked second on the Bulldogs in singles victories (11) and won all three of her NEC Tournament matches in straight sets. Also returning for Bryant is sophomore Ashanti Campfield (Stratford, CT/Bunnell), the 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year and a first team All-NEC honoree at #5 singles. She compiled a 12-5 overall record, including a 4-1 mark at #5 singles and a perfect 5-0 slate against conference opponents. Bryant also sports a pair of second team All-NEC picks in junior Marion Bouillin (San Diego, CA) and sophomore Linnea Sjoberg (Stockholm, Sweden).